A far cry from the cultish, soft-focus Americana of their first three records, Jubilee is this Los Angeles band's stomp-heavy three-ring circus. "APB" is the telling title of the first track, on which Grant Lee Buffalo pla... more »inly state that they are journeying into a more immediately gratifying unknown. The loss of bassist Paul Kimble permeates the sepia-toned guitars and ultra-tight rhythm section with an edge of electric hunger and immediate urgency. It serves singer Grant Lee Phillips and drummer Joey Peters well, from the hazy country psychedelia of "SuperSloMotion" to the open-armed sultriness of "Come to Mama, She Say." Rocking yet ethereal, surreal yet visceral, Jubilee continues the band's tradition of off-the-beaten-track sounds, only now everyone--including E of the Eels, a harmonica-wielding Robyn Hitchcock, and Michael Stipe--is invited to the party. --Sara Scribner« less
A far cry from the cultish, soft-focus Americana of their first three records, Jubilee is this Los Angeles band's stomp-heavy three-ring circus. "APB" is the telling title of the first track, on which Grant Lee Buffalo plainly state that they are journeying into a more immediately gratifying unknown. The loss of bassist Paul Kimble permeates the sepia-toned guitars and ultra-tight rhythm section with an edge of electric hunger and immediate urgency. It serves singer Grant Lee Phillips and drummer Joey Peters well, from the hazy country psychedelia of "SuperSloMotion" to the open-armed sultriness of "Come to Mama, She Say." Rocking yet ethereal, surreal yet visceral, Jubilee continues the band's tradition of off-the-beaten-track sounds, only now everyone--including E of the Eels, a harmonica-wielding Robyn Hitchcock, and Michael Stipe--is invited to the party. --Sara Scribner
"Electric Fun-This CD exhibits a more "fun & electric" approach than we see on earlier Grant Lee stuff, it is still very moving and emotional as always. Oddly enough this CD may actually be a safe place to begin on the Grant Lee tour if you are more into straight ahead rock, it feels strange saying that. There are a few tunes that will be immediately gratifying, which is not always the case with Grant Lee, the Copperopolis CD requires dedication and repeated listens to find all the gold within, where as Jubilee has some immediate payoffs which will help those introducing themselves into sticking around to uncover the whole work. I love this CD and think it has a real chance of bringing a more diverse audience into the Grant Lee Buffalo arena."
Great cd!
philosophergirl | College Park, Maryland United States | 12/17/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"i pretty much bought this cd because i liked the song "truly, truly", and figured it was one of those albums that you play a couple times and throw away. Boy was I wrong! This album is great. Every song on it is superb....this is an album for anyone who likes good rock....this album is like a 60's band in the 90's which is great; all i can say is buy this album! it's money well spent!"
This album defies all attempt to review....
philosophergirl | 03/19/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What is there to say about Grant Lee Buffalo than WOW?! What else is there to say about "Jubilee" other than WOW?! The cd opens with "A.P.B" which contrasts heavy guitar riffs with a gorgeous chorus line sung in absolutely stunning falsetto. "Seconds" is the next track followed by "change Your Tune", both containing excellent pop/rock melodies combined with smart lyrical work. "Testimony" is track four and has to be the greatest guitar single ever produced. I have listened to this track over 100 times and it still makes me shiver. See for yourself. "Truely, Truely" is lucious while "superslowmotion" brings back memories of Copperopolis, allbeit the more positive side. "Fine How'd Ya do" is great while "come to mama, she say" is heartbreaking aching especially when sung in such angelicness by Grant Lee Philips. "8 Mile Road", "Everybody needs a little Sanctary" and "My, My, My" all compliment each other with rockin good tunes accompanying great poetic sensobilities. Sanctuary can, PERHAPS, sounds slightly schmalzy at times by such things are forgiven when the listener gets to hear the duet between Grant Lee Philips and Michael Stipe from "R.EM". "Crooked Dice" is great while "Jubilee" sounds like Split Enz on Acid. The album ends with "The Shallow End" which is a masterstroke, just like the rest of the cd. Grant Lee Buffalo are progressing with utter confidence and an almost incredible nack at giving their listeners something to lie back and bask in. I AM LOST FOR WORDS!!!"
Bringing back Folk to the 90's
philosophergirl | 04/25/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm truly hooked on GLB. It was "Testimony" on the radio that made me go looking for this CD. This band makes me think of the "New" BAND. The folksie "Come to Momma" and "Sanctuary" makes me think of tunes that Dylan wishes he'd played. Hey, and I can understand these guys. I definitely felt like I have a piece of Americana, perhaps even from the Heartland when I'm listening to these tunes."
Very good, but not as good as Fuzzy and Mighty Joe Moon
philosophergirl | 11/20/1998
(4 out of 5 stars)
"When I heard GLB was going to get loud and in-your-face I was excited. Copperopolis was solid but a bit too low-key in spots. The result here is a very good album, but curiously it seems as though GLB is wearing it's influences more plainly on its sleeve: Crooked Dice and Come too Mama sound way too much like something off of Tom Petty's Wildflowers. There are solid highlights:8 mile road, APB, Testimony. They definitely seem to be going for a hard country-rock feel here, but I was hoping for more of the stylistic variety of the first two albums."